Match Report : 31/08/2013

A beautifully taken goal by Thomas Ince ten minutes from time handed Blackpool their third successive 1-0 win at Bloomfield Road and maintained their unbeaten start to the campaign.

The winger passed a late fitness test before the match and was brought on midway through the second-half and made a huge impact to help see off Gianfranco Zola's Watford.

Tom Barkhuizen was handed his first senior league start for The Seasiders and was straight into the action early on, forcing a corner on the right, which Barry Ferguson whipped in to Ricardo Fuller who met it well but Manuel Almunia got down well to turn the header around the post.

Troy Deeney tested Matt Gilks for the first time after eight minutes with a stinging effort from 25 yards out, which the keeper did well to turn over. Shortly after Gilks was up to the task again; this time saving a penalty from Deeney after Neal Bishop brought down Almen Abdi.

The Watford striker had plenty of time to think about where he was going to put it while Abdi received treatment, but Gilks was there to palm the ball away down to his left-hand side.

The visitors enjoyed some good spells of possession throughout the half, but a combination of some fine defending and good goalkeeping kept them out.

Lewis McGugan sent a free-kick just over from 30 yards out before a moment of fortune for Blackpool saw Davide Faraoni head against the post with the follow-up being superbly saved by Gilks.

Moments later the woodwork came to Pool's rescue again as Diego Fabbrini curled a right-footed shot from just inside the penalty area against the inside of the post.

HALF-TIME: BLACKPOOL 0-0 WATFORD

Within three minutes of the restart Fuller was played in behind the Watford defence with a lovely lofted ball from Ferguson, but Almunia saved well down at his near post from the striker's volley.

Blackpool started the half much brighter with Barkhuizen the next to have an effort; somehow though his shot took a slight deflection and spun the wrong side of the post when it looked for all the world that he may have got his second in as many matches.

Isaiah Osbourne was the next Pool man to send an effort just the wrong side of the upright when he flung himself to meet Ferguson's right-wing corner with his head.

The Seasiders had The Hornets on the backfoot and thought they had broken the deadlock on the hour-mark but Nathan Delfouneso's finish was ruled out for offside after some nice interchange between Angel Martinez and Osbourne.

Thomas Ince was brought on in place of Barkhuizen after 65 minutes and threatened immediately but his shot went into the side netting after a fine run down the right.

The hosts continued to dominate the second-half and finally found a way through when Ince picked up the ball deep and ran at the heart of the Watford backline, using the run of Fuller to good effect before unleashing a left-foot drive into the bottom corner across Almunia.

GOAL: BLACKPOOL 1-0 Watford

The Seasiders saw out the final nine minutes plus four minutes stoppage time extremely professionally to ensure they would head into the international break with 13 points from a possible 15.